Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama is asking for more than $ 230 million in the 2011 budget to buy and prepare an idle Illinois prison to house terrorism suspects now detained at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba .

The Justice Department budget for 2011 unveiled Monday calls for about $ 172 million for the federal government to acquire and renovate the state-owned prison in Thomson , Illinois , and another $ 66 million to eventually staff and equip it .

The budget requires congressional approval , and several lawmakers in both the House and Senate have vowed to block the funds , potentially preventing the transfer of many of the 192 remaining Guantanamo detainees to U.S. soil .

`` Even though Americans are facing tremendous economic challenges , the administration has chosen to spend $ 237 million dollars in taxpayer money to provide free travel , room and board in Thomson , Illinois for some of the most dangerous Guantanamo detainees , '' said a statement Monday by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida , the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee . `` It is time for the president to focus on the security and economic needs of the American people , rather than on the needs of those dangerous extremists who seek to do us harm . ''

Even if the funds are approved by the start of the 2011 budget year in October 2010 , Justice Department officials said Monday the transfer of any detainees was unlikely to start until several months later .

In addition to the cost of the Illinois prison , the Justice Department budget seeks another $ 73 million dollars for the transfer , prosecution and incarceration of five Guantanamo Bay detainees currently slated to stand trial in criminal court for their alleged roles in the September 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks .

Justice Department officials told reporters that includes about $ 23 million for security , $ 15 million for transportation , $ 15 million for litigation , $ 7 million for detainee housing and another $ 12 million for related expenses .

Gary Grindler , the acting deputy attorney general , said the Justice Department is committed to a civilian trial for Khaled Sheik Mohammed and four others charged in the September 11 , 2001 , terrorism case . Grindler said no decision has been made on whether the trial would be moved from New York City .

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs also said Monday that the government was still examining whether to hold the trial in New York City or somewhere else .

Federal officials informed New York authorities that the cost of a long-running trial in New York City could approach $ 1 billion .

New York officials including Mayor Michael Bloomberg are increasingly opposed to conducting the trial in Manhattan due to the high cost and disruptions it would cause .

Julie Menin , chairwoman of a city community advisory agency , proposed four alternative locations for the trial within the Southern District of Manhattan : Governors Island , Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh , the U.S. Military Academy at West Point , and the Bureau of Prisons jail complex at FCI Otisville .

The latter three are all in Orange County , New York , a county less than an hour away from New York City , county executive Edward Diana told CNN .

Diana opposes holding the trial in Orange County , and warned he would mount a legal challenge to try to stop it .

A West Point spokesman said last week that no one has officially requested a review of demands for such a trial , which would require in-depth study of legal and security concerns .

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Obama asks for $ 230 million to buy , prepare Illinois prison for Guantanamo detainees

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Lawmakers in both chambers vowed to block the funds , which could prevent detainee transfers

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Republican : Obama should focus on helping Americans , not needs of extremists